The Fat Angel Sings

THE WHO live at the Desert Trip Festival at Empire Polo Field in Indio, California – October 16th, 2016

Desert Trip rock superstars put considerable sweat into performances in Indio over the last two weekends, and some even inspired tears from fans. But only one appeared to literally draw blood That was the Who’s lead guitarist and chief songwriter Pete Townshend, who managed to cut his forehead to bring forth a trickle of blood over his right eye during the band’s set on Sunday, which he noted also was the final date of their extended 2015-2016 world tour.

The injury became apparent during the mini-set of “Tommy” numbers, as singer Roger Daltrey belted out “See Me, Feel Me” and the show’s high-resolution video cameras made Townshend’s wound visible to all 75,000 festival-goers as his face was magnified on screens around the grounds.

The Who didn’t exactly slow down in a set that emphasized the muscular rockers of their first two decades. “I Can See for Miles” was tuneful hard rock, with Townshend’s riffs of increasing tension and a beat always pushing forward, shattering eardrums for 50 years. The guitarist crouched as he slammed the downstroke attack on “My Generation.” During the Who’s set earlier in the evening, Pete Townshend alluded cryptically to the presidential election, and the day before, Neil Young sang of threats to environment. Waters was more aggressive in messaging as he weaved politics as an essential element of his performance of Pink Floyd classics. He read a poem of rage and protest called “Why Cannot the Good Prevail”

“A thing like this … I don’t know if this is a good thing or bad thing,” said Pete Townshend after roaring through about half the Who’s Sunday evening set, which had already covered a slew of hits including “Can’t Explain,” “Who Are You” and “My Generation.” He concluded, “But I think, as McCartney said, we’ve all been in the business for over 50 years – there’s no competition and it’s all love, peace and harmony.”

In a nutshell, the 71-year-old guitarist acknowledged that, yes, Desert Trip is a big corporate money-maker, but at the crux of it, it’s an important celebration of an era of musicians who are dwindling quickly.

In the case of the Who this night, it was that overarching, last-ditch nostalgia that gave the show its emotional and historical weight. They have seven more gigs scheduled for spring of 2017, but this show marked the band’s final North American date on their farewell tour. Of course, they’ve said their goodbyes several times before, but based on Townshend’s remark “tonight … we’re gonna cry,” it felt like this really could be their last Stateside stand.

Yet the band turned that lament on its head time and time again throughout the 2-hour set, transforming distant memories into youthful vigor. The only noticeable hitch in Roger Daltrey’s higher wails came during “Behind Blue Eyes,” but his voice otherwise soared over the desert winds, which couldn’t stop his carefully choreographed mic whips either. Townshend likewise set out to defy Father Time during “I’m One,” quipping “This song is a song to be sung by a very young snotty little fucker … and I don’t know if I can remember what that’s like, but I’ll [try].”

At some point between that Quadrophenia cut and a mini-set of Tommy tunes, Townshend managed to cut himself – either by his wild guitar swings or some other frenetic antic – above his right eyebrow, which became visible to the 75,000-strong audience via camera close-up during “See Me, Feel Me.” True to his punk-anticipating roots, it didn’t slow him down one bit for set closers “Baba O’Riley” and “Won’t Get Fooled Again.” In a way, the injury was an apt metaphor to conclude this show: just like Townshend in those final moments, the Who’s catalogue – some of the greatest rock music ever written – will endure far beyond their touring days.

5:15 – The Who Final US Show of 50th Anniversary tour Live at Desert Trip

The Who performed a more upbeat set. “Well, here the fuck we are,” Pete Townshend announced with biting good cheer as the band stepped onstage Sunday, also the birthday of their late bassist John Entwistle, who died in 2002. With a long history of career-defining moments at events from the Monterey Pop Festival and Woodstock to the Concert for New York after the attacks of 9/11, he expressed special affection for the young fans in front of him in the Southern California desert venue.

“You young ones, we love you for coming to see us,” he said. “It must be pretty tough out there for the old ones. Why don’t you make a little chair for them, and they can sit down and rest.”

The Who didn’t exactly slow down in a set that emphasized the muscular rockers of their first two decades. “I Can See for Miles” was tuneful hard rock, with Townshend’s riffs of increasing tension and a beat always pushing forward, shattering eardrums for 50 years. The guitarist crouched as he slammed the downstroke attack on “My Generation.”

The Who were always an exceptionally physical band, with Roger Daltrey wailing up front and Pete Townshend leaping with windmill guitar strokes. Few performers in their 70s can maintain that physical presence, but the Who remain a vibrant musical force for other reasons. Like all the acts at Desert Trip, the Who were always as much about ideas and attitude as youthful spectacle.

Daltrey reshaped some vocal parts from the superhuman originals to fit his range, more improvising bluesman than young shouter. And at 71, Townshend often just seemed like a more experienced version of the literary, snot-nosed hooligan from the 1960s.

“Good luck with the election, folks,” Townshend teased his American listeners, without further comment.

Daltrey and Townshend were supported by a backing band of seven players, including drummer Zak Starkey, who was born the year “My Generation” was released in 1965, and guitarist Simon Townshend, brother of Pete. Midway into the show, Pete told of how his younger brother was at a premiere of Tommy at the Royal Albert Hall in 1968 and was looked after that night by an unknown David Bowie.

The band performed a suite of songs from the rock opera Quadrophenia, beginning with “I’m One,” with lead vocals by Townshend, who closed with the defiant plea, “Why should I care? Why should I care?” the song’s character Jimmy pissed off and thinking hard. They followed with the album’s instrumental of sweeping guitar, piano and an anxious beat called “The Rock,” introduced by Daltrey: “This is as good as any classical piece ever written.”

From the Eighties was “Eminence Front,” mingling a dynamic funk riff with cascading electronics, but it was as much of a guitar epic as anything else in their catalog, sending Townshend into spasms of slicing leads.

The Who set ended as they have traditionally for years, with the career-defining songs “Baba O’Riley” and “Won’t Get Fooled Again” (both from 1971’s Who’s Next), euphoric anthems of rebellion, escape and history repeated. In these final moments, Townshend was moved to emphasize the pent-up rage, frustration and the “teenage wasteland” of his lyrics by sliding across the stage floor on his knees. It wasn’t as graceful as the band’s old movie footage, but Daltrey looked pleased.

The Who set list

“I Can’t Explain”
“The Seeker”
“Who Are You”
“The Kids Are Alright”
“I Can See for Miles”
“My Generation”
“Behind Blue Eyes”
“Bargain”
“Join Together”
“You Better You Bet”
“5:15”
“I’m One”
“The Rock”
“Love, Reign O’er Me”
“Eminence Front”
“Amazing Journey”
“Sparks”
“The Acid Queen”
“Pinball Wizard”
“See Me, Feel Me”
“Baba O’Riley”
“Won’t Get Fooled Again”